Thank you for allowing me to…

Thank you for allowing me to comment on the ERO post 019-6211 Proposed Changes to Sewage Systems and Energy Efficiency for the Next Edition of Ontario’s Building Code.

I’m writing to ask the province to please consider the inclusion of the Canadian Standard Association’s (CSA) A460:19 Bird-friendly building design standard into the update of the Ontario Building Code.

Bird-window collisions are a major threat to bird populations. Birds cannot see glass, and millions of birds fly into glass every year. This is not just an occasional collision that we all witness. In Canada, it’s estimated to be about 25 million each year, and it’s even higher in the US – up to 1 billion birds.

Economically, birds provide us with tremendous value, and we cannot risk losing them. Birdwatching is a very popular pastime, only second to gardening. Birdwatchers spend a lot of money on equipment like binoculars, scopes, and cameras. They spend huge amounts of money going on birdwatching trips to places like Point Pelee and Rondeau. All that money spent on gas, camping, and entry to the parks generates billions of dollars every year. Plus, many birdwatchers also like to feed birds using feeders. The cost of bird seed and feeders amounts to billions of dollars each year.

Birds also provide us with other services. They are excellent at dispersing seeds, which means they help with regenerating natural areas. They are great insect pest controls since most birds eat insects. Instead of spraying, we can rely more on birds. Birds also scavenge on dead animals that cars have hit, for instance. Without them, these dead animals would spread disease.

We cannot lose birds.

There are already solutions out there to prevent bird-window collisions that are outlined in the CSA A460:19 Bird-friendly building design standard. Please consider incorporating this into the Ontario Building Code. We can build more sustainably, and there are solutions out there. There are already many municipalities that are taking the issue of bird-window collisions seriously and mandating bird-friendly design be incorporated into new construction. These include Toronto, Markham, Vaughn, and London, for example.

I would also like to point out that there are many companies now that are creating products and providing services to install bird-friendly patterns onto windows. This means there is economic value in creating new companies that do this. For instance, Toronto was the first city to mandate bird-friendly design be used. Because of that, many companies were formed in the GTA area that could provide these products and services. Sustainable development is good for the economy and generates jobs. We don’t have to continue building in the same way to keep jobs. Green jobs are our future, and the public really cares about these issues and wants to progress toward these positive changes.

References
https://birdcanada.com/birding-resources/birding-demographics-economics/